And this is what I do in my Degree….

This is too good not to share. So I was doing some research for a finals essay, which is about Cinematic portrayals of Terrorism. This is the really quite special “Fictions of Terrorism” module, part of the English Degree at Durham University, UK*. Its really flipping good.

I’m planning to use some of Jaques Lacan’s Mirror theory to expand on an idea that film can act as a two-way mirror to expose and manipulate our ideas of terrorism as intermingled presentations of the Real and the Imaginary; in essence, that our concept of terrorism is as much fantasy as fact. If you don’t do critical theory, that won’t make much sense. I’m not even sure I’ve got my head around it yet, and I’m writing the bloody thing.

But anyway, I started looking things up and found this instead… Slavoj Zizek, philosopher, critic, and madman, has written an essay about Lacanian theories in films. Specifically, Casablanca, Eyes Wide Shut and Alien.

I looked at this and thought two things. 1: omigodomigodomigodthisisamazing. 2: I flippin’ love my degree.

Anyways, back to work. Take a look if you have a chance- just don’t expect an easy ride…

*Yes, I have enough international readers now to make that qualification valid. Whoopee.